4: What Is The Physiological Impact Of Using A Waist Trainer?

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The internal physiological impact of corsets.

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Here, essentially, is the issue. First, those involved in waist-training often hold the assumption that it is a low-effort trick to slim your waist and “train” your curves. In other words, those wearing items such as Miss Belt or Genie Hourglass may bring with it the hope that it will permanently reshape their body.

This belief is rooted partially in advertisements claiming that the tightness of the garment causes one to sweat profusely. Unfortunately, as is stated by New York City-based plastic surgeon Andrew Miller, MD, corsets don’t have any effect on human anatomy or fat reduction. In fact, no matter the amount of time this item is worn, your body will eventually return to its original shape.

Ironically, if worn for extended periods, a waist-trainer could actually decrease core strength. As emergency physician and television personality Travis Stork puts it, “It does nothing long term. It doesn’t help you lose weight. If anything, the one problem that I have with you wearing it too tight is you’re not allowing your body’s natural core musculature to develop. So actually, if you wear it all the time you’d be doing the exact opposite of what you want to do.”

Jared Stokes is a Master Personal Trainer with an EdD in Health Education from Columbia University in New York City. Jared has been TGNR's Health & Fitness contributor since 2015. He also currently serves as Co-Founder and CEO of K3mistry Productions, a multifaceted company that teaches and promotes advanced media literacy.